Electro-magnetic valve and connection



5 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

. H. FLAD.

ELEGTRO MAGNETIC VALVE AND 'CONNEG TION. v No. 296,549. Patented Apr. 8 1884.

- IVTOR IAAMMG Niamey 5 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.) 7 I H. PLAD.

ELEGTBO MAGNETIC VALVE AND GONNEGTION.

' Patented Apr. 8, 1884.

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,% Mfume) 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 (No Model.)

H.FLAD. v ELECTED MAGNETIC VALVE AND CONNECTION.

' Patented Apr. 8, 188 i.

' WITNESSES N. PEYERs PIwIn-Lrllwgnpher. Walhmgleu. 0v c.

i 5 Sheets- 3mm 4.

(No Model.)

H. FLAD,

ELEOTRO MAGNETIG VALVE AND CONNECTION.

Patented Apr. 8, 1884.

-- PETERS. Pholfl'Lrlhagmplur. wm m u c 5 Sheets-Sheet 5. I H. FLAD.

ELEGTRO MAGNETIC VALVE AND GONNEGTION.

Patented Apr. 8, 1884.

(No Model.)

11v van r012 PATEN'r FFICEQ HENRY FLAD, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

ELECTRO-MAGNETIC VALVE AND CONNECTEON.

SPECIFICATION iorming part of Letters Patent No. 296,549, dated April 8, 1884.

Application filed June 7, 1883. Renewed February 26, 1884. (X model.)

To all whont it may concern.-

Be it known thatl, HENRY FLAD, of St. Louis, in the county of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electro-Magnetic Valves and Connections; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descrip tion of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to electromagnetic valves and connections for controlling airbrakes on railway-cars.

The application of airbrakes, both of the compresseddr and vacuum types, to long trains of railway-cars as heretofore prac ticed has been attended by several disadvantages, which may be briefly stated as follows:

First, The time required for theair to travel from the air pump or reservoir on the engine increases rapidly with the number of cars, and therefore the brakes cannot be operated as promptly as is desirable.

Second. The brakes of the cars are applied successively, those of the car nearest to the air pump orreservoir being applied first, and those on the car at the rear end of the train being applied after the lapse of a considerable period, during which the brakes have been applied to the intermediate cars, one otter the other, and during this period the train is subjected to a series of violent shocks, from the fact that'thc momentum of the cars on which the brakes have not beefi applied causes such cars to run up against that portionof the train the speed of which has been slackened by the application of the brakes. These shocks follow one another as the cars are successively broughtunder the control of the brakes, but the first is the most violent, because the re mainder of the train runs onto the first car i which is checked.

The necessity, therefore, has existed of mak ing the air-supply pipes of very small diameter, and the pumps or reservoirs of great capacity, in the attempt to attain a prompt filling or exhaustion of the pipes; but even when such relative proportions are given to the pipes and their source of supply there is another dis advantage arising from the great frictional resistance .to the flow of the air through the pipes of small diameter, this resistance causing a considerable delay before the proper condition of compression or vacuum can be re established after it has been interrupted by the operation of the b *akes. These disadvantages result from the fact that thecharging or exhaustion of the brakecylinders and connecting-pipes must be effected entirely through a cock or valve located upon the locomotive, so that the transmission of effect therefrom to the brake-cylinders through the air-pipes necessarily occupies a time proportionate to the length of the pipes and the quantity of air which must be alternately removed from and replaced in such pipes and the cylinders or other chambers in which are located the pis tons or diaphragms which are connected with the brake-levers.

It is the object of myinvention' to overcome these disadvantages as far as possible; and with this end in view my present improve ment consists in anovel combination, with a brakecylinder provided with suitable ports for connecting the same with the main pipes,

of a valve arranged in said cylinder for the opening and closing of said ports, and electromagnetic devices for controlling said valves, all as hereinafter particularly described in connection with the accompanying drawings, and definitely pointed out in the appended claims.

My present improvement is founded on the same general principle as is the subject of another application for patent which I have filed of even date herewith.

Among the air-brakes to which'my invention is applicable I will mention, first, brakes of the Mallinckrodt type operated by air, and in which the main pipes and brakecylinders must be kept normally charged with compressed air, which drives a piston in each cylinder, to raise the car-body and hold off the side of the piston and atmospheric air admitted to the other side, so that the piston will, in one style of such brakes, be caused to normally hold off the brake-blocks andin another form to apply the brakes by atmospheric pressure.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a brake-cylinder provided with an electro magnetic valve con structed and arranged according to my invention, a portion of the main or communicating pipe being shown in elevation. Fig. 2 is a rear end view of the cylinder, the communicating pipe being shownin cross-section. Fig. 3 is a section of the cylinder, valve. main pipe, and connections on the line a; 00 of Fig. 1, the magnet being shown in elevation. Fig. 4' is a section on the line wm of Figs. 1 and 3. Fig. 5 is a section of a cylinder in a plane similar to that of Fig. 3, and illustrating a modified form. of external valve for regulating the communication between the cylinder and external air, and a variation of the connection of the comnlunicating pipe with the cylinder.

7 The letter A designates the cylinder, B its piston, and O the piston-rod, which, on the outside of the cylinder, is to be connected with the brakes through the ordinary intermediate levers or' other motion-transmitting devices. Near the rear end of the cylinder, and at diametrically-opposite points" thereof, are outwardly-projecting short necks D D, commit nicating with the interior of the cylinder and covered by caps d (2. Standing diametrically across the cylinder, and within the same, is a tubular valve, E, the opposite ends of which extend into the necks D and D, respectively, said valve having a slight longitudinal play between the caps d and d, and the inner surfaces of said caps being covered by packing- -disks 0, to form air-tight joints between the caps and the ends of the valve. The valve is supported and properly guided by .suitable bearings, f, arranged in the necks D D, surrounding said valve near its opposite ends, and closing the space aroundsaid valve at the inner ends of the necks. These bearings carry annular flexible packing -rings 9, the inner margins of which lie against the valve and prevent the leakage of air around it to and from the cylinder. Near its lower end the valve E carries an armature, E, preferably of soft iron, the'valve passing through said' armature,which projects at opposite sides thereof at right angles. Diametrically across the cylinder, at right angles to the valve, is secured a permanent crossbar, H, which supports an electro-magnet, I, the poles of which stand on opposite sides of the valve, and are arranged in such proximity to the armature E that said armature will be attracted by the magnet when its cores are charged by an electric current traversing its helices i The magnet is secured to the crossbar H by means of clamping-caps h, and the bent portion or yoke of the magnet-cores passes through a passage, 0, formed through the valve, said passage being sufficiently large to allow the valve to play longitudinally, so that its ends may come in contact alternately with the packing-disks of the caps (l and d, it being understood that when one end of the valve is in contact with the packing of one of said caps its other end will be separated from the packing of the other cap by a space sufficient to allow proper ingress and egress of air to and from the valve,which at an intermediate portion of its length is slotted, as shown at s, to provide free communication between its interior and the interior of the cylinder.

The upper neck, D, of the cylinder is connected with the communicating pipe K by means of a small branch pipe, k, for the passage of air, and said communicating pipe is also connected with the cylinder by a short tube, Z, which serves as a passage for the electrical conducting-wires w 10, which lead from the respective terminals of the helices of the magnet Land are passed through the communicating pipe Kin opposite directions after leaving the cylinder. The tube 1 is to be filled around the wires with paraffine or similar material, to prevent the passage of air to and from the cylinder.

The communicating pipe K of each car, in addition to its function as an air-pipe, serves also as a conduit for'the conducting-wires,and

at each end is provided with the usual connecting-hose, in the couplings of which are arranged automatic wire-connecting devices, as described and illustrated in my application for patent for improvement in electric airbrakes, filed of even date herewith; andlwill. further add that my present improvement is intended to be used in connection with means for establishing a complete electric circuit, and making and breaking the same similar to those described in my said other application.

The neck D of the cylinder has connected to it a laterally-projecting tube, M, the outer end of which is closed by an elongated cap, M, the side walls of which are slotted, as shown at m. Upon a seat formed in the end of the tube M isarranged a valve, N, against which bears one end of a spring, 0, the other end of which bears against amovable plate, 12, in the cap M. Through the end wall of said cap is arranged an adjusting-screw, Q, the top of which bears against the plate 1), so that by means of said screw the opening 0 maybe adjusted to bear with more or less force upon the valve N. The object of this valve is to prevent the escape of any more air than it is absolutely necessary should be discharged from the cylinder when my invention is applied to that type of air-brakes iii which the cylinder is kept normally charged with compressed air, and is relieved of pressure in order to allow the weight of the car-body to set the brakes, as will be again referred to.

In Figu'5 is illustrated an external valve adapted for application to cylinders used in any of the systems of air brakes heretofore referred to, but especially in those in which the cylinder is only either charged or exhausted for the purpose of operating the brakes.

M? in Fig. 5 is a centrally-bored nipple projecting from the sleeve D, and provided with screw-cap, M, having lateral openings m", connecting its interior with the external air.

- Through the head or end wall of the cap is arranged the screwshank M of a conical valve, N, which may be adjusted more or less into the nipple M for regulating the area of the outer opening thereof.

The conductingwires w to lead through the communicating pipes in one direction to the locomotive, and there terminate in one contact plate or button of a circuit-closer, and in the other direction to the rear end of the train, where connection is made with a return branch of a circuit, (preferably composed of the rails of the track,) which on the engine is connected with one pole of the battery, the other pole of which is connected with the circuitcloser contact or buttomwhich is arranged to bebrought into contact with that to which the pipe wire branch of the circuit is connected.

Having now described the essential details of construction involved in my improvement, I will explain the modes of using the same in connection with the several systems of airbrakes to which I have heretofore referred.

The Mallinckrodt brake is a representative of aclass of car-brakes in which the brakes are set or applied to thewheels by the weight of the car-body, which must, therefore, be kept raised when the brakes are to be held off the wheels. When such brakes are operated by 'air,the cylinders are kept normally charged with compressed air,to drive the pistons in one direction to raise the car-body through bell crank levers which are connected by the body, and also to the brakes, the communicating pipes being necessarily kept charged also. The charging is effected by the usual means. When the brakes are to be set or applied to the wheels, the air, is allowed to escape, either wholly or partially, from the cylinderwholly when the train is brought to a fullstop, and only partially when simply aslackening of speed is to be effected. It will be understood that when the brakes are off and the cylinder and communicating pipe charged, the lower end of the valve E will rest by gravity upon the packing-disk of the lower cap, d, and the upper end of said valve will be removed from the packing disk of the upper cap, (2. Communication will therefore be open between the pipe and cylinder and closed between the cylinder and external air. To set the brakes the engineer closes the circuit by means of the circuit;closer on the entime the lower end of the valveis raised from the packing-disk of cap (1 and communication opened from the cylinder to the ex ternal air, so that the compressed air is allowed to escape from the cylinder either wholly or partially, as desired. The pressure on the piston being relaxed, the car-body descends and sets the brakes. A brief closing of the circuit will result in a slackening of speed; but if a full stop is to be made the circuit must be kept closed until the desired effeet is produced.

In this system of brakes I prefer to use the external valve, M, as shown in Fig. 3, the pressure of the spring 0 upon the valve being so adjusted that when, by the escape of air, the pressure in the cylinder is sufiiciently reduced to allow an empty car-body to descend and apply the brakes, the valve will be forced to its seat and prevent the further escape of air.- A restoration of the normal or standard pressure may obviously thus be more. quickly elfected to take off the brakes than it the entire pressure were removed in applying them.

In those air-brake systems in which compressed air is used to apply the brakes, the communicating pipe should be connected by pipe k to the lower neck, D, and the upper neck, D, should be adapted for-communication with the external air, as shown in Fig. 5. Communication will thus be normally cut off between the pipe and cylinder and open between the latter and the external air. The

pipe will be kept normally charged with com-,

pressed air, butthe cylinder will be discharged. To apply the brakes, the engineer will close the battery'circuit, and the magnet will attract its armature and raise the valve, thus opening communication to the pipe and closing it to the external air. Compressed air will rush into the cylinder from the pipe and drive the piston to set the brakes, either briefly, to effect a simple slacking of speed, or sufficiently to bring the train to a full stop, according to thetime the circuitis kept closed. To take off the brakes after they havebeen set, the circuit must be broken and the valve resumes its normal position, allowing the cylinder to be discharged and the piston to relax its pressure .upon the brakes. The passage from the cylinder to the pipe being now closed, the engineer may put his air-pump in .motion, or it may automatically dperate to restore the standard pressure in the pipe. For

IIO

quantity allowed to escape. The renewal of pressure may be accomplished at leisure between the times of setting of the brakes.

In vacuum-brake systems the arrangement 5 of the parts will be the same as in those using compressed air to set the brakes. The main pipe will be kept exhausted of air, communication between the pipe and cylinder will be closed by-the valve, and communication to the external air opened. WVhen the circuit is closed, the magnet will attract the armature to raise the valve, close the connection to the outer air, and open the passage from the cylinder to the pipe. The tendency to vacuum thus caused on one side of the piston and the atmospheric pressure on the other side will drive the piston to set the brakes. Breaking the circuit will restore the valves to their normal position, and the standard vacuum may '20 be then reestablished by the usual apparatus.

When diaph ragms are used in vacuumbrakes, the valve and devices for working the same may be located in a short cylinder inserted in a branch pipe leading from the main pipe to the diaphragm-chamber.

It will now be observed that by using the electromagnetic valve in each cylinder I am enabled to keep a supply of compressed air of efficient tension close to all the cylinders of a 0 train, so that no appreciable time will be lost by the air in traversing the pipes after communication is established between the cylinder and pipe, and closed to the external air by the movement of the valve. So, also, an effi- 3 5 cient vacuum may be maintained in the pipe, so that a prompt exhaust of the cylinders occurs simultaneously upon all the cars of the train as soon as the circuit is closed by the e11- ,gineer. In other words, a short route, almost 40 without resistance, is provided for the transmission of the desired effect from the locomotive to the brakes on all the cars at the same time, and the hereinbefore-enumerated disadvantages of the old modes of applying air- 5 brakes are almost entirely overcome.

Having now fully described my invention and explained the operation thereof, Iclaiml. The combination,with the cylinder provided with suitable ports, of the tubulardiametrically-arranged valve, the armature carried by said valve, and the electro-magnet arranged to attract said armature, substantially as described. v

2. The combination, with the main or communicating pipe and the cylinder having diametrically-opposite ports or passages arranged for communication with the said pipe and the external air, respectively, of the tubular valve arranged to open and close said ports, and having its interior in communication with the interior of the cylinder, the armature carried by said valve, and the electro-magnet arranged to attract said armature, and having its helices arranged for connection in an electric circuit outside of the cylinder, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the cylinder provided with ports arranged for communication with a main pipe and the external air, respectively, and an electromagnetic valve for controlling said ports, of a supplementary valve for regulating the flow of air from the cylinder when the electro magnetic valve has opened the passage to the external air, substantially as described. 7 5

4. The combination, with the cylinder provided with ports arranged for communication with a supply-pipe and the external air, re-' spectively, and an electromagnetic valve ar ranged to open and close said ports alternately, of an automatic regulating-valve arranged to close the communication between the cylinder and external air when the pressure in the cylinder falls to a predetermined point after the electromagnetic valve has opened the port to theexternal air, substantially as and for the purpose set forth;

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

- HENRY FLAD. \Vitnesses:

A. B. METOALFE, FRITZ HorrNER. 

